Angelfish Undersea Cuisine

Tom Schaudel, the kingfish of Long Island restaurateurs, is in the swim again.

His current school of 'fish includes Coolfish in Syosset and Rockfish in Huntington. Angelfish annexes the South Shore, applying the now-familiar formula with a few variations.

The new restaurant takes over a corner that has housed eateries for many years, the only memorable one being TKOPS 180, an informal offshoot of The Kitchen Off Pine Street.

Befitting its name, Angelfish is one of Schaudel's more modest establishments: compared with Cool.fish, small fry. But no Schaudel-stamped spot is ever dull.

You enter via the bar, where there are some tables that double as Siberia for many diners, to a sunny-hued main room with a high ceiling, dark-wood accents and an open kitchen. Just as there are two distinct dining areas, there are two very clearly defined times to eat: weekday and weekend.

On a recent Saturday night, a duet of maitresse d's were, like, stressed out totally and inflexible about table selection, even though many were empty. They were, like, into other stuff. By the way: Cute tattoo, but don't overdo it.

By midweek, the professionals must have staged a coup. The service became more attentive and accommodating. And the kitchen, under less pressure, also sent out much better fare.

Anyone who has enjoyed Thom Thom, Schaudel's fine, entertaining steak 'n' Asian spot in Wantagh, will remember crunchy kung pao calamari, a sweet-spicy treat heady with peanuts and sesame.

And executive chef David Livingston's Maryland crab cake, with squiggles of chipotle pepper-spiked aioli and avocado relish, also is very good. Likewise, a shrimp cocktail, with four big stars.

But the Caribbean-style seafood salad is equal parts mushy and tough, depending on whether you've encountered the scallops or the conch. The mango vinaigrette merely douses them. Tuna tartare turns out routine, despite its red ginger vinaigrette. You're better off with the sweet, crunchy cornmeal-dusted oysters, atop baby spinach.

Salads abound, capped by two goat cheese entries: baby greens with roasted walnuts and rounds of tangy Coach Farm goat cheese; and the arugula number with hearts of palm, red onion and chevre.

Seafood, surprisingly, can be an uneven choice. Blackened catfish shows up not seared and spicy but carbonized and bitter. No mango salsa can rescue it. Seared diver scallops materialize slightly overdone, circling a bland vegetable tart. Instead, try the rich, moist crabmeat-crusted slab of swordfish; or the light, steamed red snapper with julienned vegetable.

A riff on osso buco made with pork is tender and flavorful. But the wild mushroom risotto from which it rises like Devils Tower taste merely like heavy rice. The grilled, marinated hanger steak, however, is excellent, paired with mashed potatoes and vinegared onions.

There's first-class cheesecake, but arid flourless chocolate cake, oversweet white-chocolate crème brûlée and a cloying apple tart. Stick with the gelati. Maybe Schaudel will bring back the "chocolate bag" that has carried so many dessert lists before.

But for now, Angelfish is a pretty good catch.

Reviewed by Peter M. Gianotti, 10/2/05.